Method for device rack-mounting

ABSTRACT

A method for mounting a device in an equipment cabinet may comprises: Providing a device with a mounting pathway; providing a support spar that is sized to be received by the mounting pathway in the device; engaging the support spar with the mounting pathway; engaging a spacer sleeve with the support spar; and engaging the first and second ends of the support spar with the equipment cabinet so that the support spar supports the device within the cabinet and so that the spacer sleeve is positioned between the device and at least one side of the equipment cabinet.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/556,228, filedon Apr. 24, 2000, abandoned, which is hereby incorporated herein byreference for all that it discloses.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to rack-mount systems in general and morespecifically, to a rack-mount storage system having a low profile devicesupport structure.

BACKGROUND

Different types of rack-mount storage systems exist and are being usedto mount single or multiple devices in equipment cabinets. For example,such systems are commonly used in research/laboratory settings to holdvarious types of test equipment such as signal generators,oscilloscopes, computers, etc.

A typical rack-mount storage system may include an equipment cabinethaving a device opening therein and a support structure for supportingdevices in that equipment cabinet. Commonly used support structuresinclude shelves or platforms for holding the devices or rail systems forslidably receiving the devices.

On some occasions, the devices may be mounted in the equipment cabinetprior to shipment. Therefore, the support structure must be designed tohandle those situations in which a fully configured equipment cabinet isshipped. Stated differently, the support structure and cabinet mustprovide the structural strength and rigidity required to support theweight of the devices mounted in the equipment cabinet both at rest andduring shipment.

Conserving and minimizing vertical height space is an important designcriterion for rack-mount storage systems. Often, if not always, the morevertical height that is required to mount a device in an equipmentcabinet, the more costly the rack-mount storage system is to theend-user. According to EIA (Electronic Industries Association), theapplicable rack-mount standard for measuring vertical height space isANSI/EIA RS-310-C. Under this standard, vertical height space isallocated in increments of 1.75″ for the industry standard 19″rack-mount cabinet for electrical products. Obviously, vertical heightspace can quickly add up when using this incremental approach.

Partly in an effort to provide for the above-mentioned conditions, arack-mount storage system has been developed in which a full-width shelfis used to support the weight of the devices. Since the shelf needs tohave sufficient thickness to support the weight of the devices both atrest and during shipment, the shelf is usually provided with asubstantial thickness which occupies valuable vertical height space.Thus, although rack-mount storage systems of this type do work and arecurrently being used, the continuing need to conserve valuable verticalheight space places significant limitations on such rack-mount storagesystems.

In another effort in part to meet the above-mentioned conditions whileconserving vertical height space, another rack-mount storage system hasbeen developed. In this second rack-mount storage system, a first,usually half-width device is secured to a secondary component. Thesecondary component may comprise either a second device or a frameapproximating the size of the second device. The secondary componentbridges the gap between the mounted first (e.g., half-width) device andthe opposite side of the equipment cabinet. The first device andsecondary component are fastened to one another and are designed suchthat together they provide the necessary structural integrity to supportthe weight of the devices both at rest and during shipment. Although theforegoing arrangement may conserve vertical height space, rack-mountstorage systems utilizing this secondary component method are not themost convenient and cost conscious approach. Indeed, this type ofrack-mount storage system has numerous drawbacks. For example, byrequiring the secondary component when only one device is to beinstalled, this system is impractical. Second, this rack-mount storagesystem requires the device chassis and the secondary component topossess sufficient strength to support the weight of the devices both atrest and during shipment. Third, this design requires the fasteningmethod to possess significant structural strength. Fourth, thisrack-mount storage system requires the first device to be unfastenedfrom the secondary component, a rather cumbersome process, whenever adevice is to be removed or installed. All of these drawbacks lead toincreased costs and decreased convenience.

Consequently, a need exists for a rack-mount storage system havingsufficient strength and rigidity to support the weight of a device ordevices both at rest and during shipment. Ideally, the rack-mountstorage system would support the device or devices mounted in theequipment cabinet yet require no additional vertical height space forstructural support. If achieved, a shorter equipment cabinet might beselected which could not otherwise be used if additional vertical heightspace were necessary to mount the devices in that equipment cabinet.Alternatively, additional space might be available for mounting otherdevices in the equipment cabinet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method for mounting a device in an equipment cabinet comprises:Providing a device with a mounting pathway; providing a support sparthat is sized to be received by the mounting pathway in the device;engaging the support spar with the mounting pathway; engaging a spacersleeve with the support spar; and engaging the first and second ends ofthe support spar with the equipment cabinet so that the support sparsupports the device within the equipment cabinet and so that the spacersleeve is positioned between the device and at least one side of theequipment cabinet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

Illustrative and presently preferred embodiments of the invention areshown in the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the rack-mount storage system accordingto the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the support spar engaged with themounting pathway in the device;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the engagement of the support sparand spacer sleeve with a mounting rail provided on the equipmentcabinet;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the curved support spar;

FIG. 5 is an overhead plan view of the rack-mount storage system withthe top of the equipment cabinet removed to show the arrangement of thedevice and support spar;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing two devices connected together andthe support spar extending through both devices; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing two devices connected togetherbeing supported by a support spar located near the top surface of eachdevice.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

A rack-mount storage system 10 according to one preferred embodiment ofthe present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and may comprise an equipmentcabinet 12 sized to receive one or more components or devices 16 and 36.The devices 16 and 36 are supported within the equipment cabinet 12 by asupport spar 20 that extends between the first and second sides 28, 30of the equipment cabinet 12. Each of the devices 16, 36 is provided witha respective mounting pathway 18, 38 (FIGS. 2 and 6) therein that issized to receive the support spar 20. Since the support spar 20 iscarried within the first and second mounting pathways 18, 38, and sincethe first and second mounting pathways 18, 38 are recessed within theirrespective devices 16, 36, the support spar 20 supports the first andsecond devices 16, 36 within the equipment cabinet 12 without addingadditional height to either device 16 or 36. That is, the arrangement issuch that the support spar 20 does not extend downwardly beyond thebottom surfaces 24 and 82 of the respective devices 16 and 36.

With reference now primarily to FIG. 2, the first device 16 utilized inone preferred embodiment of the present invention may comprise a tapeautochanger device of the type known in the art, although other devicesmay also be used. Regardless of the particular function of the device16, device 16 may be provided with a housing or chassis 48 suitable forholding the various systems and components (not shown) that may becontained within the first device 16. By way of example, in theembodiment shown and described herein, the chassis 48 comprises agenerally rectangularly shaped structure having a top surface 22, abottom surface 24 and two opposed sides or surfaces 21 and 23. The firstdevice 16 may also be provided with a front panel or escutcheon 27 whichmay be fastened to the equipment cabinet 12 in the manner that will bedescribed in greater detail below. The chassis 48 may also be providedwith a first channel member 56 therein which, together with the bottomsurface 24 of the chassis 48, defines the first mounting pathway 18. Thefirst mounting pathway 18 may comprise a generally rectangularcross-section, although other shapes are possible.

The support spar 20 may comprise an elongate member sized to be receivedby the first mounting pathway 18 provided in the first device 16. Thesupport spar 20 has a length 40 (FIG. 4) that is sufficient to allow thesupport spar 20 to extend substantially between the first and secondsides 28, 30 of the equipment cabinet 12. For example, in the embodimentshown and described herein, the support spar 20 extends between firstand second mounting rails 32 (FIG. 5) and 34 (FIGS. 3 and 5) which areaffixed to the first and second sides 28, 30, respectively, of theequipment cabinet 12. See FIG. 5. Thus, the device 16 is directlysupported on the one side by the first mounting rail 32 and on the otherside by the spar 20 and, ultimately, by the second mounting rail 34, asis best seen in FIG. 5.

Referring back now to FIG. 1, the equipment cabinet 12 may be providedwith a second device 36 that is sized to fit between the first device 16and the second side 98 of the device opening 14 defined by the equipmentcabinet 12, although such a second device 36 is not required. By way ofexample only, the second devices 36 also may comprise a tapeautochanger, although other devices could also be used. If such a seconddevice 36 is to be provided, it is also supported by the support spar 20by way of the engagement of the support spar 20 with the second mountingpathway 38 provided in the second device 36. Alternatively, and as willbe described in greater detail below, if such a second device 36 is notprovided, a spacer sleeve 52 may be positioned over the support spar 20to assist in holding the first device 16 against the first mounting rail32. See FIGS. 2 and 3.

The device 16 may be mounted within the equipment cabinet 12 by firstsliding the support spar 20 through the first mounting pathway 18 of thefirst device 16 and, optionally, the spacer sleeve 52. With the supportspar 20 and optional spacer sleeve 52 in place, the assembly may beinserted into the opening 14 in the equipment cabinet 12 so that thefirst device 16 and the spacer sleeve 52 rest upon the first and secondmounting rails 32 and 34 provided in the equipment cabinet 12. Thearrangement is such that the device 16 is supported on the one side bymounting rail 32 and on the other side by the support spar 20 andmounting rail 34, as best seen in FIG. 5. The support spar 20 may bevertically constrained (i.e., held against) the first and secondmounting rails 32, 34 by side tabs 76 which may be provided on the firstand second mounting rails 32, 34. Optionally a pair of fasteners 78 maybe used to secure the spar 20 to the rails 32, 34. The first device 16may be further secured to the equipment cabinet 12 by attaching thefirst front panel 27 of the first device 16 to the first flange section64 with the fastener 88 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 5).

Removing the single device 16 is equally convenient. As a first step inthe removal process, a user (not shown) would first remove the fastener88 from the front panel 27 of device 16, if such a fastener 88 is used.Removal of the fastener 88 disengages the front panel 27 from the firstflange section 64 of cabinet side 28. The user would then remove thefasteners 78 (if fasteners 78 are used) to free the spar 20 from themounting rails 32 and 34. The assembly may then be removed from theequipment cabinet 12 by sliding the entire assembly outwardly from theopening 14. Lastly, the support spar 20 may be removed from the firstmounting pathway 18 and the spacer sleeve 52. Because the presentinvention does not require any other components for mounting the firstdevice 16 within the equipment cabinet 12, the cumbersome process offastening/unfastening the first device 16 and any other secondarycomponents is avoided.

The present invention also offers easy installation of multiple devicesin the equipment cabinet 12. For example, when two devices 16 and 36 areto be mounted in the opening 14 provided in the equipment cabinet 12,the support spar 20 is first inserted through the first and secondmounting pathways 18, 38 of the first and second devices 16, 36,respectively. With the support spar 20 in place, the first and seconddevices 16, 36 are inserted into the opening 14 in equipment cabinet 12,ultimately resting on the first and second mounting rails 32 and 34attached to the sides 28 and 30 of equipment cabinet 12. When properlypositioned within the equipment cabinet 12, the support spar 20 isvertically constrained (i.e., held in position against the first andsecond mounting rails 32 and 34) by the side tabs 76 provided on thefirst and second mounting rails 32 and 34. Optionally, one or morefasteners 78 may be used to secure the support spar 20 to the first andsecond mounting rails 32 and 34. The first device 16 may be furthersecured to the equipment cabinet 12 by securing the front panel 27 ofthe first device 16 to the first flange section 64 of side 28 with thefastener 88 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 5). Likewise, the second device 36 may befurther secured to the equipment cabinet 12 by securing the front panel29 of the second device 36 to the second flange section 66 of side 30with a fastener 90 (FIG. 6).

Removal of multiple devices (e.g., 16, 36) is equally convenient in thatit first involves disengaging the first and second front panels 27, 29from the first and second flange sections 64, 66, respectively, removingthe fasteners 78 (if used), and by sliding the support spar 20horizontally from under the side tabs 76. Next, the first and seconddevices 16, 36 may be removed from the equipment cabinet 12. The supportspar 20 may be removed from the first mounting pathway 18 and the secondmounting pathway 38 if necessary.

A significant advantage of the present invention is that the supportspar 20 supports the first and second devices 16 and 36 within theequipment cabinet 12 without requiring any additional height. Thus, theamount of vertical height space that is needed to mount a device in theequipment cabinet 12 is determined by the height of the device only andnot by the support structure. This important design feature of thepresent invention may allow a shorter equipment cabinet to be selectedwhich could not otherwise be used if additional vertical height spacewere necessary to mount devices in that equipment cabinet.Alternatively, the additional vertical height space may be used to mountdevices in the equipment cabinet.

Another advantage of the present invention is the ease with which asingle or multiple devices can be installed or removed from theequipment cabinet 12. The present invention uses a minimal number ofparts to provide the necessary structural support for mounting thedevices. By using fewer parts, the process of installing and removingthe devices is greatly simplified and much more convenient than designsrequiring a greater number of parts.

Still yet another advantage of the present invention is that it requiresless structural rigidity of the chassis of the device or devices becausethe support spar 20 provides the necessary structural support for thedevice or devices. Moreover, the present invention also allows for thelater installation of additional devices when only a single device ismounted in the equipment cabinet 12, thereby providing a level ofconvenience not previously realized.

Having briefly described the rack-mount storage system 10, as well assome of its more significant features and advantages, the variousembodiments of the rack-mount storage system according to the presentinvention will now be described in detail. However, before proceedingwith the description, it should be noted that while the rack-mountstorage system 10 is shown and described herein as it could be used tosupport one or two “half-width” devices (e.g., 16, 36) within theequipment cabinet 12, it could also be used to support a single, lessthan full-width device (not shown). In still another application,full-width devices (not shown) could also be supported. Of course, therack-mount storage system 10 could also be used to support severaldevices in a vertical (i.e., stacked) arrangement in the equipmentcabinet 12, as would be obvious to persons having ordinary skill in theart after having become familiar with the details of the presentinvention. Moreover, it should be noted that while the present inventionis shown and described herein as it could be used in conjunction with astandard EIA rack-mount cabinet, other types of cabinets may also beused. Accordingly, the present invention should not be regarded aslimited to the particular components and configurations shown anddescribed herein.

With the foregoing considerations in mind, the rack-mount storage system10 according to one preferred embodiment of the present invention isshown in FIG. 1 and may include an equipment cabinet 12 having a deviceopening 14 therein that is sized to receive one or more devices (e.g.,devices 16, 36). The equipment cabinet 12 may comprise a top side 35 anda bottom side 37. The equipment cabinet may further include a first side28 and a second side 30 which support spar 20 engages to support one ormore devices within the device opening 14. The first side 28 may beprovided with a first flange section 64 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 5). Similarly,the second side 30 may be provided with a second flange section 66(FIGS. 3 and 5). The first side 28 may also include a first mountingrail 32 (FIG. 5) affixed to the first side 28 of the equipment cabinet12. Likewise, the second side 30 may include a second mounting rail 34(FIGS. 3 and 5) affixed to the second side 30 of the equipment cabinet12. The first and second mounting rails 32, 34 may be affixed to thefirst and second sides 28, 30, respectively, by securing the first andsecond mounting rails 32, 34 to the first and second flange sections 64,66, respectively, with a suitable fastener 67, such as screws, rivets,adhesives, formed tabs and hooks, brackets, etc.

Each of the first and second mounting rails 32, 34 may be provided witha side tab 76 that captures the top surface 86 of the support spar 20(FIGS. 3 and 5). By capturing the top surface 86 of the support spar 20,the side tabs 76 prevent the support spar 20 from moving upwardly awayfrom the first and second mounting rails 32, 34. That is, the side tabs76 vertically constrain the spar 20.

With reference to FIG. 1, the device opening 14 may comprise top,bottom, first, and second sides 68, 70, 96, and 98, respectively, which,in the embodiment shown and described herein, may comprise the interiorsides or surfaces of the top, bottom, first, and second sides 35, 37,28, 30, respectively, of the equipment cabinet 12. The first and secondsides 96, 98 of device opening 14 are separated by a spaced distancethat is greater than, or at least equal to, the width of a first device16. Similarly, the top and bottom sides 68 and 70 of device opening 14are separated by a spaced distance that is greater than, or at leastequal to, the height of the first device 16.

The equipment cabinet 12 may also be provided with one or more frontpanels, such as front panel 50 to improve the overall appearance andaesthetic value of the equipment cabinet 12. The front panel 50 may besized to extend between the first and second sides 96, 98 of the deviceopening 14 (or a device (e.g. 16) and the second side 98 of the deviceopening 14) and between the device or devices (e.g. 16, 36) and thebottom side 70 or top side 68 defining the device opening 14, as thecase may be.

The various sides 28, 30, 35 and 37 of the equipment cabinet 12 as wellas the front panel 50 may be made from any of a wide range of materialssuitable for the intended application, such as metal, wood or plastic.By way of example, in the embodiment shown and described herein, thevarious sides 28, 30, 35, 37 and the front panel 50 are formed fromsheet metal. Alternatively, other materials and/or forming techniquesmay be used, as would be obvious to persons having ordinary skill in theart after having become familiar with the teaching of the presentinvention.

The first and second flange sections 64, 66 may comprise any of a widevariety of configurations suitable for the intended application. By wayof example, in one preferred embodiment, the first and second flangesections 64, 66 comprise integral portions of the first and second sides28, 30, respectively, and are formed from sheet metal. The first andsecond flange sections 64 and 66 may be provided with a plurality ofholes 69 therein to allow the front panel(s) (e.g., 27, 29) of thedevice(s) (e.g., 16, 36) to be secured thereto.

Similarly, the first and second mounting rails 32, 34 and the side tab76 may also be designed in various ways and made from any wide range ofmaterials, such as metal or plastic, suitable for the intendedapplication. In the embodiment shown and described herein, the first andsecond mounting rails 32, 34 are formed from sheet metal. The side tabs76 comprise integral portions of the first and second side rails 32, 34and may be formed in accordance with any of a wide variety of processeswell-known in the art for providing integral tabs to sheet metalmembers.

With reference now primarily to FIG. 2, the first device 16 may beprovided with a chassis 48 suitable for holding the various systems andcomponents (not shown) that may be contained within the first device 16.In the embodiment shown and discussed herein, the chassis 48 comprises agenerally rectangularly shaped structure having a top surface 22, abottom surface 24 and two opposed sides or surfaces 21 and 23.Alternatively, of course, other configurations are possible.

The first device 16 may also be provided with an escutcheon or firstfront panel 27 which may be fastened to the equipment cabinet 12 bysecuring the first front panel 27 to the first flange section 64 with asuitable fastener 88 (FIGS. 2, 3 and 5) (e.g., screws, rivets,adhesives, formed tabs and hooks, brackets, etc.).

The chassis 48 of the first device 16 may be provided with a firstchannel member 56 therein (FIGS. 2 and 5) which, together with thebottom surface of the 24 of the chassis 48, defines a first mountingpathway 18. The first mounting pathway 18 is sized to slidably receivethe support spar 20. Since the first mounting pathway 18 is containedwithin the chassis 48 of device 16, the support spar 20 does not extenddownwardly beyond the bottom surface 24 of the chassis 48.

It is generally preferred, but not required, that the channel member 56which defines the pathway 18 be located at about the same fore-to-aftposition as the fore-to-aft center of gravity 26 of the first device 16(FIG. 5). So locating the pathway 18 at about the same fore-to-aftposition as the center of gravity 26 minimizes the torsional (i.e.twisting) loads on the chassis 48 and allows a single support spar 20 tosupport the device 16.

In the embodiment shown and described herein, the first channel member56 comprises a continuous member having a cross-section in the shape ofan inverted “U,” although other cross-sectional configurations arepossible, as would be obvious to persons having ordinary skill in theart after having become familiar with the teachings of the presentinvention. The first channel member 56 is attached to or mounted withinthe chassis 48 of device 16 so that the channel member 56, along withthe bottom surface 24 of device 16 defines the first pathway 18. Since,in the embodiment shown and described herein, the channel member 56 hasa cross-section in the shape of an inverted “U,” the pathway 18 definedby the channel member 56 and the bottom surface 24 of chassis 48comprises a generally rectangularly shaped opening.

While the first channel member 56 utilized in one preferred embodimentcomprises a single, substantially continuous member, otherconfigurations are possible. For example, in another embodiment, thechannel member 56 could comprise two or more separate pieces that aremounted to the chassis 48 in the manner already described. In stillanother embodiment, the channel member 56 is eliminated, in which casethe pathway 18 is defined by openings provided in the opposed sides 21and 23 of the chassis 48 that are sized to receive the support spar 20.

The first channel member 56 may be made from any of a wide range ofmaterials, such as metals or plastics, suitable for the intendedapplication. In one preferred embodiment, the first channel member 56 isfabricated from sheet metal. Of course, the particular configuration ofthe first channel member 56 will be dictated by the material comprisingthe chassis for and the weight of the devices to be supported.

The support spar 20 is best seen in FIGS. 2 and 4 and may comprise anelongate member sized to be received by the first mounting pathway 18provided in the first device 16. The support spar 20 has a length 40(FIG. 4) that is sufficient to allow the support spar 20 to extendbetween the first and second sides 28 and 30 of the equipment cabinet 12(FIG. 5). More specifically, in the embodiment shown and describedherein, the length 40 of the support spar 20 is sufficient such that thefirst and second ends 42, 44 of the support spar 20 extend between thefirst and second mounting rails 32 (FIG. 5) and 34 (FIGS. 3 and 5)affixed to the first and second sides 28, 30, respectively, of theequipment cabinet 12. The arrangement is such that the device 16 issupported on the one side directly by the first mounting rail 32 and onthe other side by the second mounting rail 34 via spar 20.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the support spar may comprise a top surface86 such that when the first and second ends 42, 44 of the support spar20 engage the first and second mounting rails 32, 34, respectively, thetop surface 86 is captured by side tabs 76 provided on the first andsecond mounting rails 32, 34. With the top surface 86 captured by theside tabs 76, the first and second ends 42, 44 of the support spar 20are prevented from moving upwardly away from the first and secondmounting rails 32, 34.

It is generally preferred, but not required, to further secure thesupport spar 20 to the first and second mounting rails 32, 34. Forexample, in the embodiment shown and described herein, the support spar20 may be secured to the first and second mounting rails 32, 34 bysuitable fasteners 78 (FIG. 3), such as screws, rivets, adhesives,formed tabs and hooks, brackets, etc. With the support spar 20 securedto the first and second mounting rails, 32, 34, the support spar 20 isprevented from moving upwardly away from the first and second mountingrails 32, 34.

The support spar 20 may be made from any of a wide range of materials,such as metals or plastics, suitable for the intended application. Thesupport spar 20 may also be formed with any cross sectional shape thatis suitable for the intended application. By way of example only, in onepreferred embodiment, the support spar 20 is extruded from aluminum andhas a generally rectangular and tubular cross section.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 5, if only the first device 16 having a widthless than the spaced distance between the first and second sides 96, 98of the device opening 14 is to be mounted in the equipment cabinet 12, aspacer sleeve 52 may be provided on support spar 20 to assist in holdingthe first device 16 against the first mounting rail 32. In one preferredembodiment, the wall thickness of the spacer sleeve 52 is made to beabout equal to the wall thickness of the bottom surface 24 of chassis48. Since the spacer sleeve 52 extends nearly to the end 44 of supportspar 20, the spacer sleeve 52, not the support spar 20, directlycontacts the mounting rail 34. Consequently, the spacer sleeve 52provides the necessary material thickness between the spar 20 and themounting rail 34 so that the support spar 20 is level within theequipment cabinet 12. Although it is not required, the spacer sleeve 52may be secured to the second mounting rail 34 by a fastener 78 locatedat about the upper surface 87 of the spacer sleeve 52 (FIG. 3).

The spacer sleeve 52 may be fabricated from any of a wide range ofmaterials, such as metals or plastics, suitable for the intendedapplication. In the embodiment shown and described herein, the spacersleeve 52 is fabricated from sheet metal and is sized to be slidablyreceived over the support spar 20.

As best seen in FIG. 1, the equipment cabinet 12 may be provided with asecond device 36 sized to fit between the first device 16 and the secondside 98 of the device opening 14, although such a second device 36 isnot required. The second device 36 may be mounted adjacent the firstdevice 16 so that the first and second devices 16, 36 extend between thefirst and second sides 96, 98 of the device opening 14 (FIGS. 1 and 6)and rest on the first and second mounting rails 32, 34, respectively. Ofcourse, the first and second devices 16, 36 may be positioned within thedevice opening 14 in any other convenient arrangement depending on therequirements of the particular application.

The second device 36 may be similar to the first device 16 and may beprovided with a chassis 79 suitable for holding the various systems andcomponents (not shown) that may be contained within the second device36. In the embodiment shown and discussed herein, the chassis 79comprises a generally rectangularly shaped structure having a topsurface 80, a bottom surface 82, and two opposed sides or surfaces 99and 100 (FIG. 6). Alternatively, of course, other configurations arepossible.

The second device 36 may also be provided with an escutcheon or secondfront panel 29 which may be fastened to the equipment cabinet 12 bysecuring the second front panel 29 to the second flange section 66 witha fastener 90 (FIG. 6) (e.g., screws, rivets, adhesives, formed tabs andhooks, brackets, etc.), suitable for the intended application.

The chassis 79 of the second device 36 may be provided with a secondchannel member 58 therein (FIG. 6) which, together with the bottomsurface 82 of the chassis 79, defines a second mounting pathway 38. Thesecond mounting pathway 38 is sized to slidably receive the support spar20. Since the second mounting pathway 38 is contained within the chassis79 of device 36, the support spar 20 does not extend downwardly beyondthe bottom surface 82 of the chassis 79.

As was the case for the first device 16, it is generally preferred, butnot required, to locate the pathway 38 at about the same fore-to-aftposition as the fore-to-aft center of gravity 84 of the second device 36(FIG. 6). So locating the pathway 38 at about the same fore-to-aftposition as the center of gravity 84 minimizes the torsional (i.e.twisting) loads on the chassis 79 and allows a single support spar tosupport both devices 16 and 36.

In the embodiment discussed herein, the second channel member 58comprises one continuous member having an inverted “U” shaped crosssection, although other cross sectional shapes could be used. Also, aswas the case for the first channel member 56, the second channel member58 could comprise two or more separate pieces that are mounted to thechassis 79. Alternatively, a second channel member 58 need not beprovided, in which case the mounting pathway 38 may simply be defined byopenings provided in the opposed sides 99 and 100 of the chassis 79 thatare sized to receive the support spar 20.

The second channel member 58 may be made from any of a wide range ofmaterials, such as metals or plastics, suitable for the intendedapplication. In one preferred embodiment, the second channel member 58is fabricated from sheet metal. Of course, the particular configurationof the second channel member 58 will be dictated by the materialcomprising the chassis for and the weight of the devices to besupported.

As best seen in FIG. 6, the second mounting pathway 38 may besubstantially aligned with the first mounting pathway 18 when the firstand second devices 16, 36 are positioned adjacent one another. When soaligned, the support spar 20 passes through the first and second devices16, 36 by way of the first and second mounting pathways 18, 38,respectively, with the first and second ends 42, 44 of the support spar20 extending between the first and second mounting rails 32, 34,respectively. The arrangement allows the weight of the first and seconddevices 16, 36 (the outboard ends of which rest directly on the firstand second mounting rails 32, 34), to be transferred to the equipmentcabinet 12 via the support spar 20 and the first and second mountingrails 32, 34.

When devices 16, 36 are mounted adjacent one another, typical alignmentspecifications require those devices to be aligned to maintain a qualityappearance (FIGS. 1 and 6). Due to necessary clearances and tolerances,however, device misalignment may occur.

One method for ensuring the alignment of the devices 16 and 36 is tosecure them together. In one preferred embodiment, side 21 of the firstdevice 16 is secured to side 99 of the second device 36 with a fasteningdevice, such as a tab 54 (FIGS. 2 and 5). The fastening device 54 may beselected from any wide range of fastening systems or devices (e.g.,screws, rivets, adhesives, formed tabs and hooks, brackets, etc.),suitable for the intended application keeping in mind that because thesupport spar 20 will support the weight of the devices, the fastener 54does not require significant structural strength and rigidity. In analternative embodiment, the support spar 20 is curved (FIG. 4) such thatthe center 46 of the support spar 20 is higher than its first and secondends 42, 44 when the support spar 20 is engaging the first and secondmounting pathways 18, 38. In this alternative embodiment, the supportspar 20 compensates for the clearance tolerances by lifting up the firstand second devices 16, 36 at about the center 46 of the support spar 20.

A second embodiment 110 of the rack-mount storage system according tothe present invention is illustrated in FIG. 7 and may include a firstdevice 116 having a top surface 122 and a bottom surface 124 anddefining a first mounting pathway 118. The rack-mount storage system 110may further include a second device 136 having a top surface 180 and abottom surface 182 and defining a second mounting pathway 138. In thisalternative embodiment, the first and second mounting pathways 118, 138are located adjacent the top surfaces 122, 180, respectively, such thatwhen the support spar 120 is received by the first and second mountingpathways 118, 138 the support spar 120 does not extend upwardly beyondthe top surfaces 122 and 180 of the respective devices 116 and 136.

An alternative embodiment that is not shown may include a second supportspar sized to be received by the second mounting pathway 38. To supportthe first and second devices 16, 36, a first support spar (e.g., 20) isfirst passed through the first device 16 by way of the first mountingpathway 18. The second support spar (not shown) is passed through thesecond device 36 by way of the second mounting pathway 38. The firstsupport spar (e.g., 20) and the second support spar (not shown) are thensecured to one another with a suitable fastener (not shown), such as,for example, screws, rivets, adhesives, formed tabs and hooks, brackets,etc. To support the first and second devices 16, 36 within the equipmentcabinet 12, the support spar 20 engages the first mounting rail 32 andthe second support spar engages the second mounting rail 34.

It is contemplated that the inventive concepts herein described may bevariously otherwise embodied and it is intended that the appended claimsbe construed to include alternative embodiments of the invention exceptinsofar as limited by the prior art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for mounting a device in an equipmentcabinet, comprising the steps of: providing the device with a mountingpathway; providing a support spar having a first end and a second end,the support spar being sized to be received by the mounting pathwayprovided by the device, the first and second ends of the support sparbeing sized to engage the equipment cabinet; engaging said support sparwith the mounting pathway provided by the device; engaging a spacersleeve with said support spar; and engaging the first and second ends ofthe support spar with the equipment cabinet so that the support sparsupports the device within the equipment cabinet and so that the spacersleeve is positioned between the device as at least one side of theequipment cabinet.
 2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising thesteps of: mounting at least two mounting rails inside the equipmentcabinet; and engaging the first and second ends of the support spar withthe at least two mounting rails.
 3. A method as in claim 1, wherein saidstep of providing the device with a mounting pathway further compriseslocating the mounting pathway at about a fore-to-aft center of gravityof the device.
 4. A method as in claim 1, further comprising the step ofsecuring a second device to the device.